There were a few people outside, watching the town burn. They turned as they
saw the ship land. Cecilia rushed towards them, in an attempt to discover
what had just happened.

A man ran up to them. "A giant creature came out of nowhere, and demanded
we hand over something called the Elw. When we said we didnt
know what it was talking about, it began to attack everything in sight. Then
it set the town on fire, and it spread very easy. So many dead "

Rudy came up beside her. "Its still here. In there "

Zed came up too, Striker drawn. "Then I must go face it. The blade calls
to me."

Rudy drew his ARM, and Jack came up, Slayer drawn. Zed looked slightly surprised
by Jacks approach, but all three advanced towards the burning town.

As they entered, they saw several bodies. Those too slow to escape the
creatures wrath. So many dead. They kept searching, and finally fond
the creature, in front of the castle. But when they saw it, it was not what
they expected at all

Zed was the first to see the creature. "YOU! This time I will kill you for
what you did to me. This time, you die Zeikfried.."

Rudy the second. "Grandfather! Stop! Why are you attacking this city?"

And Jack, the last. "Father! Theres no need for this. Youre a
knight! A knight doesnt attack the innocent "

The creature appeared to be someone that the three felt close to, or hated
very much The creature turned to speak to Rudy and Jack. The known
dangers.

"Why should I not? These people are mere annoyances. I will find what I seek,
for better or WHAT!"

Zed drew Striker. And advanced on the creature. Once Striker touched it,
the spell was ruined. The creature towered over the three, easily twice as
tall as the tallest man. It had two heads, one of Zeikfried, one of Rudys
grandfather. It held a weapon in each of its arms. A sword, an axe,
a spear, and an ARM. It had a great reptilian tail behind it, as well as
a great pair of wings. Its tail ended in a curved point, like the head
of a scythe. "So, you hold Striker as well. No matter. When the three fight
together, not even your pitiful weapons can stop us! We shall rule this planet,
and its vermin. And open the gateway to the Elws world!" The
creature spread its great wings, and began to rise up. The wind from
them was so great, that it blew Zed, Rudy, and Jack back. And the creature
vanished from sight

The three headed towards the castle. Miraculously, it had been spared from
the ravings of the fire. Most of the people were still alive as well. At
least for the moment. With the fire closing in, there was a chance that everyone
could be killed. As they entered, most of the people vanished inside. Jack
looked very annoyed at this. "Fools! Cant they see that theyll
end up dead if we dont get out of here?"

The fire was closing in fast. Somehow, the creature must have been keeping
it away. And now that it was gone

Rudy suddenly got an idea. "Weve got to get everyone down into the
sewers. The monsters living down there will probably avoid attacking a larger
group, and even if they dont, between us and the guards, we should
be able to hold them off."

Jack nodded. "Right."

The three rushed into the castle, and nearly ran over the chancellor.

"Youre back! You saved us from that beast, but the fire "

Rudy cut him off. "Get everyone together. We can get into the swears. That
way, the fire will miss us, even if it hits the castle."

Fear entered the chancellor "But the monsters "

Rudy cut him off. He knew there was no time to argue. "You get the people
down there, the three of us will deal with the monsters."

The Chancellor nodded, and rushed off. Rudy lead the others to the kitchen,
and down into the swears. As soon as they landed, the monsters began to advance
towards them. The three prepared for a fight. By the time the first of the
castles inhabitants descended, the creatures had backed off,
not willing to try and fight the warriors. Within 5 minutes, everyone had
descend. With Rudy, Jack, and Zed leading, the party took off threw the swears.
Several times the monsters tried to attack, but they always fell back from
the guards steel. Soon, they reached the man hole that would take them
out into the center of town.

Jack started to climb up, but Zed stopped him. "Ill go first. The fire
will bother me the least. But it could kill you." He then turned to Rudy.
"If something happens to me, could you "

Rudy nodded. "Ill look after her, I promise."

Zed nodded, then climbed up the ladder. But what he saw was not the raging
inferno he expected, but rather a burned out city. He climbed back down.
Jack and Rudy waited for him to say something. "Its out. All thats
up there is a burned out town."

Jack and Rudy look at each other, in disbelief, when a familiar voice calls
out from above. "You guys all right down there? The sorceresses from the
cathedral came over to put the fire out. But every one from the castle is
gone "

Jack looked up the ladder. "Cecilia! Am I ever glad to see you! Everyone
is down here. The fire started to approach the castle. So we had to move
fast."

Jack, Rudy, and Zed moved to the back of the line, as the rest of the people
headed up. But the monsters had learned their lesson, and were keeping a
safe distance. Soon, everyone had headed up the ladder. And looked around
in disappear as their town had been burned down, yet again. Cecilia approached
the chancellor. "This is no longer my fight. I shall stay to help our people
rebuild. There is nothing I can do to help them anymore." Cecilia turned
to Jack, Rudy, and Zed. "May the guardians go with you on this journey. The
survival of all the races depends on it."

The three nodded, and left. There were tears in Cecilias eyes as she
watched them leave. She knew, as well as they, that should they fail, life
as they know it would end